In our increasingly mobile society, transitions are often made in search of opportunity, yet to the detriment of social ties to others. This study draws upon a life course perspective, focusing specifically on the timing and context of transitions, to explore how educational transitions affect students' academic trajectory with national longitudinal data. Findings suggest that students who transition to high school alone are resilient when they are more popular or involved in extracurricular activities. For students who transfer during high school, higher achieving students have lower academic outcomes than classmates who stay with the collective, while low-achieving transfer students benefit academically by changing schools. Findings provide insight into ways that resilience can occur in the midst of life transitions, and for whom, which may help alleviate risk and prevent the accumulation of disadvantage.
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